EU veterinary antibiotic usage declining

Sales of veterinary antibiotics are continuing to fall in most European countries, according to the latest figures released by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Covering sales in EU28 and Switzerland between 2011 and 2014, the EMA’s sixth veterinary antibiotics report shows a decrease of 2.4 per cent in total sales, Pig World reports.

This is despite adjusting previous records to accommodate a 'considerable increase' in one country due to an improvement in its data collection.

That means that in the 24 countries which provided data throughout the four-year period, the sales decrease was actually 12 per cent.

The report showed the UK was responsible for 445 tonnes of sales of active ingredients of veterinary antimicrobial agents in 2014, significantly below the figures for Spain (nearly 3,000 tonnes), Italy, Germany and France.

The EMA said: “This substantial decline in the sales of antimicrobials for food-producing animals observed in some countries indicates that there is also a potential for a decrease in other countries."

Despite the low overall decrease in sales of veterinary antimicrobial products, the new data demonstrates that actions taken in the fight against antimicrobial resistance by EU member states are making a difference, it added.

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The National Pig Association is the representative trade association for British commercial pig producers and is allied to the NFU and represents the pig interests of NFU members. National Pig Association, Agriculture House, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire CV8 2TZ. Registered in England No. 3859242.